Anchee Min: Pearl of China

We were falling asleep waiting inside when we heard Carpenter Chan’s voice.

“They are gone!” He came through the door, gasping.

“Who’s gone?”

“The Americans.”

“Was Nixon here?” Rouge asked.

Carpenter Chan nodded, trying to recover his breath.

“We saw the foreigners,” Double Luck David said, “but the authorities took them away as fast as they came.”

“Where is Pearl?” I asked.

Carpenter Chan shook his head. “I am afraid that she didn’t come.”

I tried not to let the disappointment get to me. I composed myself and asked again, “Do you mean Pearl didn’t come to China, or do you mean she didn’t come to Chin-kiang?”

“Take a look at this.” Carpenter Chan produced a paper from his pocket. “It has Madame Mao’s signature on it.”

Miss Pearl Buck:

Your application for a visa was duly received. In light of the fact that for a long time you have in your works taken an attitude of distortion, smear, and vilification toward the people of New China and its leaders, I am authorized to inform you that we cannot accept your request for a visit to China.

In the past, families chose different couplets to decorate their door frames for the Chinese New Year. The most popular couplets focused on luck, health, and fortune. But this year, every family in Chin-kiang wanted the lines I tacked to my door.

The right side read: Mountains stay erect forever.

The left side read: No worry for getting firewood.

The horizontal top read: As long as it takes.

It was the town’s silent protest. It expressed our feelings for our friend in exile.

The next morning an unexpected message came: The American guests had requested another tour of Pearl Buck’s hometown. Carpenter Chan was instructed to order the people to tear down all the couplets as soon as possible.

But people were slow to act. By the time the Americans appeared, the families were still on their ladders trying to take down the couplets.

I forgot rules, warnings, and the possibility of imprisonment as I moved toward the center of the town.

The crowd followed me.

We didn’t see Pearl. We saw a big-nosed foreign man surrounded by guards. He must be Nixon, we figured. Nixon was talking to people, perhaps asking what they were doing. People had stunned looks on their faces. With his big smile, Nixon asked the Chinese translator, a young woman, what the couplets said.

The translator looked frightened. She avoided explaining the meaning behind the couplets.

Nixon was confused and said that he had a lot to learn about Chinese culture.

Followed by the Chinese authorities, the police, and his American Secret Service agents, Nixon moved on.

We followed quietly at a distance. Rouge joined me. The crowd grew larger.

Nixon was led to his car. Before entering, he stopped as if he’d changed his mind. He turned to the translator and asked, “Do you by any chance know Pearl Buck?”

“No, I don’t,” the young woman replied quickly.

“Would you ask the crowd if anyone knew Pearl Buck?”

“I am sorry. I don’t think so.” The translator shook her head.

“Would you ask, for me?” Nixon pressed gently.

The translator grabbed the tail of her braided hair and sank her teeth into it. Her fear was obvious.

Nixon repeated the question.

The translator burst into tears. She stared into her notebook and forced out the words “It is beyond my duty.”

“Pearl Buck is a personal friend of mine,” Nixon said. “She grew up right here in Chin-kiang. She asked me to say hello to her friends. She wanted so much to come back…”

I could hear every word even from where I stood, a few yards away. My heart felt like it was bursting inside its chamber.

Receiving no response from the translator, Nixon turned to the crowd and asked, “Do any of you know Pearl Buck?”

A dead silence was the response.

The government’s shadow hung like a thick black cloud over our heads.

“I am sorry,” Nixon said, nodding. He stepped back and turned again toward his car.

“Wait a moment, Mr. President,” Rouge called out. “My mother does.”

“Your mother?” Nixon was delighted.

“Yes, my mother. She knew Pearl Buck, and she is right here.” Rouge pushed me toward Nixon.

Nixon stepped between the Chinese guards and stopped in front of me before anyone could react. The guards looked confused. It was obvious they didn’t know how to respond, how to stop him. Nixon’s Secret Service agents stayed close to their president, so the Chinese agents couldn’t get near him.

“So you know Pearl Buck?” Nixon asked.

“So does everyone here,” I said in English. “Not only did we know Pearl, but we knew her father, Absalom, and her mother, Carie… Pearl and I grew up together.” I stopped, trying desperately to press back my tears.

“How wonderful that you speak English!” Nixon’s face lit up. “What is your name?”

“My mother’s name is Willow Yee,” Rouge spoke.

“Richard Nixon.” The American president offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Willow Yee.”

The moment I touched his hand, my tears poured. The reality that I might never see Pearl again caught up with me.

“What is the meaning of the couplets?” Nixon asked. “And why are they being taken down?”

“Mountains stay erect forever means that our hearts continue to pray for Pearl’s return,” I answered. “No worry for getting firewood means that we don’t worry because opportunities will come our way again. As long as it takes means we have faith in God.”

“Good couplets!” Nixon nodded. “Now everything makes sense to me.”

“Mr. President, why isn’t Pearl with you?” voices in the crowd asked. “Why didn’t she come?”

“Well, folks,” Nixon said, smiling, “all I can tell you is that Pearl really wanted to come. Trust me, she did everything she could. Absolutely everything!”

“Please help make her visit happen, President Nixon,” I pleaded. “For Pearl and for all of us.”

“Please try, Mr. American President,” the crowd echoed.

“I will,” Nixon said, and we heard the sincerity in his voice.

Knowing exactly what might await me once Nixon was gone, I spoke my last words. “President Nixon, would you tell Pearl that her friend Willow misses her and the entire town of Chin-kiang misses her?”

“You have my word.” Nixon bit his lower lip and made the promise.

The moment Nixon and his guards moved on, the government agents arrested me.

“Madame Mao has authorized me to take charge of this case,” Vanguard said. “Your days are numbered!”

I was charged with four crimes. First, for insulting Madame Mao. Second, for exposing national secrets to Nixon. Third, for degrading China with couplets. Fourth, and the worst, for being a “planted agent” of Pearl Buck’s.

I did not feel defeated. Instead, I luxuriated in the memory of my encounter with Nixon. I imagined him returning home and meeting with Pearl. I imagined him describing his experience. Pearl would be pleased. She would say, “Willow. Of course I know her. She was my best friend.”

The prison was called Donkey’s Crotch by the inmates. The area was desolate and rocky and covered with snow year-round. The inmates were forced to do hard labor before their execution. Because of my age, I was given a job making straw mats for the other prisoners. The mats were used to wrap the dead. Since they didn’t have to make coffins, it saved wood. The mats were in short supply, so I was ordered to work long hours. I had to make ten a day or starve. It was impossible to complete the task, so I starved. The prison also limited the inmates’ water usage. Each inmate was allowed a half cup a day for drinking. There was no water for washing.